Chaeles william boettnee



(No Model.)

0. W. BOE-TTNER.

FLOOR CLAMP.

Patented Sept. 25, 1888.

mvcmbo c waif/26 I mar/er Warren STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

CHARLES WILLIAM BOETTNER, OF LITTLE RIVER, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HOYVARD H. GILGHRIST, OF SAME PLACE.

FLOOR-CLAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,919, dated September 25, 1888.

Application filed April 3, 1888. Serial No. 269,430. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES WILLIAM BOETTNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Little River, in the county of Rice and State of Kansas, have inventeda new and useful Improvementin FloorGla1nps,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in floor-clamps; and it has for its object to provide an improved device which may be secured to a joist, stud, sleeper, &c., and operated to force the floor-boards, siding, or ceiling-boards into position and hold them thus until properly secured.

The invention consists in a certain novel construction and arrangement of devices, fully set forth hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the clamp applied in the operative position to a floor in the process of construction. Fig. 2 is a reverse plan view. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central sectional view. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the lever. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the clamping-plate.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the base-plate of the improved clamp, to the under side of which, near one edge, are attached the depending studs B B, having biting-edges on their inner side; and O O designate inclined slots which are formed in the base-plate near the opposite edge. A clampingplate, D, is arranged under the base-plate, and it is provided on its upper side with the guide-blocks E E, which operate in the said inclined slots,

whereby when the plate is moved it is guided in a direction inclined to the length of the plate. Threaded pins or bolts f are attached to the upper sides of the guide-blocks, and on these are mounted small guide-plates G G, which bear on the upper side of the baseplate. These plates may be held in place by nuts F, engaging the threaded pins or bolts f,- or the said pins or bolts may be swaged to hold the nuts in position. The guide-plates hold the blocks E in the slots. The clamping-plate is provided on its under side with the depending studs H H, having biting-edges on their inner sides in opposition to the biting-edges on the stationary studs B B. The damping plate is further provided on its outer edge with a vertical standard or arm, I, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

L represents an eccentric-cam,which is provided in its under side with a socket, Z, which fits a round knob or boss, K, on the upper side of the baseplate, and a bolt is passed through the said boss or knob and the cam to hold the latter in place. The upper side of the cam is provided with the groove M, in which is arranged the transverse pin m, and the operating-lever N fits at its inner end in the groove M, and is provided with a longitudinal slot, at, which is mounted on the said transverse pin. \Vhen the lever is in its horizontal position, it may be pushed into the groove in the cam until the pin m engages the outer end of the slot, in which case the lever is held from vertical swing. When it is desired to change the lever over to the opposite side of the cam, it is drawn out until the pin m engages the inner end of the slot a,when it may be swung over.

The lever is provided at an intermediate point with a curved offset, a, the object of which is as follows: \Vhen the clamp is first applied to a joist, the lever is swung around so as to bear on the rear side of the arm or standard I, and is pressed forward, thereby forcing the clamping-plate toward the joist by the action of the inclined slots. The curved 8o shape of the offset aids the inward pressure of the arm or standard by allowing the latter to'slide freely thereon.

The push-bar O is mounted at its outer end in a keeper, 0, on the end of the base-plate, and it is provided on its under side with a web, 1?, which slides in a longitudinal guideslot, Q, in the base-plate. The outer end of the push-bar, beyond the end of the base-plate, is provided with a head, R, having the horio zontal ears 1 7*, adapted to have a piece of the floor-boarding, siding, or ceiling-board bolted thereto, as shown in Fig. 1. The inner end of the push-bar is pivoted to the strap S, which embraces the eccentric-cam, thus permitting 5 the push-bar to move in a straight line parallel with the plate, while the strap follows the movements of the cam.

T represents a pawl, which is mounted on the baseplate, and is adapted to engage a ratchet, U, on the side of the pushbar, whereby when the board has been pushed into position the pawl is engaged with the ratchet to hold the board in position until nailed. The pivoted end of the pawl is provided with a knuckle, V, which is mounted in a socket on the upper side of the plate, as seen at \V.

The operation of this device will now be readily seen. The depending studs B and H are placed, respectively, on opposite sides of the joist, and are moved toward the same until their adjacent or biting edges are in contact therewith, after which the operating-lever is swung around, thereby turning the cam and operating the pushbar. The resistance which the push-bar encounters in forcing the floorboard into place tends to force the base-plate away from the floor-board, whereas the clampingplate, being unaffected (directly) by the motion of the operating-lever, remains stationary. Therefore it will be evident that as the slots G O are inclined inward toward the front end of the base-plate (namely, the end adjacent to the floonboard) the rearward movement of the said plate will cause the guideblocks E to move toward the front or inner ends of the slots, and therefore cause the baseplate and clamping-plate to approach each other, and consequently impress the opposing studs H and B more firmly into opposite sides ofthejoist. The clamping-plate may be forced toward the joist, to engage the studs 11 therein before the push-bar is operated, by pressing the lever N against the rear side of the standard or stud I; but after the operation of forcing the floor-board into position is commenced the clamping of the joist is automatic, and is proportionate to the resistance offered to the puslrbar, and therefore the lever should not be in cont-act with the said stud or standard. Obviously the backward movement of the baseplate, caused by the operation of the lever, is very slight; but it is suflicient to firmly clamp the joist and prevent a backward movement of the entire clamp.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a clamp, the combination, with the fixed plate provided with the knob or boss K and the longitudinal slot Q, of the eccentric-cam having a socket in its under side, mounted on the said knob or boss, the strap mounted on the cam, the lever connected to the cam, and the push-bar pivoted to the strap, mounted in a keeper, 0, 011 the base-plate, and provided with a depending guide web, P, mounted in the slot Q, substantially as specified, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a clamp, the combination, with the base-plate, of the eccentric-cam,the strap surrounding the cam,the push-bar pivoted to the strap and having a ratchet, U, on one side, and the pawl T, mounted on the plate and adapted to engage the said ratchet to hold the push-bar in the desired position, substantially as specified.

3. In a clamp, the combination of the baseplate having a socket, WV, on its upper side, the eccentric-cam mounted on the plate, the strap surrounding the cam, the push-bar connected to the strap and having a depending web, P, mounted in a longitudinal slot, Q, in the plate, the side of the push-bar being provided with a ratchet, and the pawl T, having a knuckle on one end mounted in the socket W', and adapted to engage the ratchet at the other end, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a clamp, the combination, with the baseplate, of the eccentric-cam having a transverse groove, M, on its upper side, the pin m, arranged transversely in the groove, the lever mounted on the said pin and lying longitudinally in the groove M, and the push-bar connected to the cam, substantially as specified.

5. In a clamp, the combination of the eccentric-cam having a groove in its upper side,

provided with a transverse pin, the push-bar connected to the cam, and the lever engaging the groove and having a longitudinal slot, at, therein,which is mounted on the pin, substantially as specified.

6. In a clamp, the combination of the plate having the inclined guide-slots C O therein, the studs B,depending from the base-plate, the clamping-plate B, provided with studs II and having guide-blocks operating in the slots, and the push-bar mounted on the plate and operated substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

7. In a clamp, the combination of the baseplate having the stationary studs B B and the guide-slots O O, the clamping-plate provided with the guide-blocks E, operating in the slots 0, and having the studs H on its under side, the plates G, arranged on the ends of the blocks and bearing against the face of the base-plate, and the cam mounted on the plate and having a push-bar connected thereto, substantially as specified.

8. In a clamp, the combination, with the base-plate provided with depending studs B B and the inclined slots 0 C, the clampingplate having depending studs H H,the guideblocks E E, mounted in the slots 0 O, the vertical arm or standard I on the said clamping-plate, the cam mounted on the base-plate and having a push'bar connected thereto, and the lever mounted on the cam and having a curved offset, a, to engage the said arm or standard I, substantially as and for the pur' pose specified.

9. In a flooring-clamp, the base-plate provided with inclined slots 0 0 near one edge, and having the depending sharpened studs B B, and the clamping plate provided with guide-blocksE, sliding in the slots 0 C, and having depending sharpened studs H H, in

combination with the push-bar mounted on In testimonythatI claim the foregoing as my 10 the base-plate and provided with a suitable own I have hereto aflixed my signature in pres oam, whereby it may be operated, the rearence of two witnesses.

ward pressure exerted on the base-plate by the push-bar being adapted to draw the clamp CHARLES WILLIAM BOETTNER. ing-plate inward, and thereby impress the opposing studs B B and H H into opposite sides Witnesses:

of an interposed joist, substantially as speci- A. G. WOLFE,

fled. HOWARD H. GILCHRIST. 

